I’ve heard so much negative about the social media
lately. Although I have both a Twitter
and a Facebook account, I don’t use Twitter.
But I do regularly check FB. And,
yes, there are things there that are not good.
This election cycle has brought out a lot of posts about this politician
or that, and I admit I’ve been a part of that.
Recently, however, I decided it was not only futile to post, but was a
turn-off as well. So, I’m foregoing all
of that, and I haven’t posted anything political now for many weeks.
And yes, there’s the bullying thing that goes on. Then there’s the sex stuff, and all of the
other rot that is part of society in general.
FB is an image of society. Why
would we expect it to be anything else?
But the good, if it is used correctly, can be gratifying,
informative, and just plain fun. One can
find old friends, make new friends, and keep up with the goings-on of people in
far away places. The things one learns
probably won’t shake up the world; nor will they cause any great changes in how
we live, but nevertheless are, to use a well-worn phrase, “cool.”
For example, this morning my cousin posted that her husband
was beginning to cut into their bedroom wall sheetrock to repair a leaky
pipe. She said something about hearing a
power saw working and ended her post with “hmm.” Nothing earth shattering, but I enjoyed
knowing about someone I knew who was working on a household project. I could relate very well to what was going on
there.
I posted back that maybe she should peer over his
shoulder. She responded that she did,
and found that he hadn’t put down something on the damp carpet to catch the
sheetrock dust. Oh, can I relate to
that!
Those kinds of interactions are both enjoyable and connecting. I had lost track of this cousin years ago,
and only recently at a funeral were we able to reconnect. She is a joy to see on FB, and I relish the
connection we have made there. She is
the last of her line of the family and has no children. So when she’s gone, that part of the family
will be extinguished. That’s not a bad
thing…it just makes the connection we now have even more important.
That, friend, is what is important. Not the sheetrock dust. Not the plumbing problem. The connection is what is important. You might say that connecting like this is
unfulfilling and isn’t nearly as good as face to face. You’re right.
But without FB and the technology, this particular connection wouldn’t
happen at all, because they live in Texas and we live in Kansas. I have many FB friends who would not connect
with me at all were it not for social media, because they live so far
away. FB brings us closer.
So, there ya’ go.
While I still like to send cards in the snail mail, and even write
something once in a while to send that way, I also like the immediacy and the
reach of the social media. I can
immediately connect with friends the world over, enjoy their good times, and
encourage them in the bad times. With
apologies to Al Gore (sorry, I couldn't resist...all in good fun), THANK YOU to whoever invented the Internet!
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